Classic & Pretty Blush Spring Country Wedding

We are back with a bang today, thanks to the super beautiful nuptials of Ruth and Jono. They were married on the 18^th May 2019 at Oxnead Hall in Norfolk, with a church ceremony and a beautiful barn reception. Their vision was for a classic wedding style, but with a relaxed and fun atmosphere, which they certainly achieved if the images and their wedding report are anything to go by.

I really love the delicate blush and peach tones they used throughout the day. The florals really were spectacular with the flower arch installation outside the church entrance really making a bold and of course very pretty statement. Then there were the bridesmaids in delicate blush dresses, the floral stationery and the cake which also used similar hues. It all worked just wonderfully. I must also rave about the sublime outfit choices, Ruth and Jono looked stunning, the beautiful fairy light canopy and the sensational images by Luis Holden Photography, which we are so thankful to be sharing today.

The Proposal

Jono proposed on a secluded bit of the beach under the moonlight on the first night of a holiday in Barbados. Not having a clue what was coming, I almost ruined the moment by complaining about the sand in my new sandals, however all was forgotten when he popped the question and we were high on love for the rest of the holiday!

The Vision

We were keen to have a classic wedding but relaxed and fun day with all of our friends and family. We also wanted both of our half Scottish, half English heritage to come through during the day.

The Planning Process

Despite a couple of stressful moments, I found planning quite enjoyable. I am quite organised as a person, with a spreadsheet including a tab for almost anything you can think of which really helped me to keep on top of everything such as costs, supplier payment dates, tasks to do, guests coming etc.

I used pinterest a lot for initial planning and inspiration, as well as Instagram. It’s amazing how many great ideas and local suppliers you can find by following a few hashtags.

My Mum was also really helpful throughout the process, sometimes taking multiple calls during the day over ideas I needed her to listen to. Despite me being 26, and her still having to deal with a few of my tantrums, it was a lovely time for us to spend together during the planning. Including spending a whole day assembling over 100 guest invites!

Budget

We set our overall budget from the start with estimates assigned to more detailed items. Costs rose and fell for items throughout the year where things that meant more to us were prioritised and ideas came to fruition.

Your Outfits & Accessories

My dress was Sincerity by Justin Alexander from Primadonna Bridal in Norwich.

I was extremely lucky to be gifted a bespoke veil from Helen Martin Veils by one of my best friends Sophie. Helen, who is so talented, created the most beautiful two-tier veil and sourced the same lace as my dress for the edging. I felt like a true bride wearing it on the day and will cherish the piece forever.

I treated myself to bridal shoes from Emmy London, going for a classic plain shoe and then adding some sparkle and pearl details.

In the evening, I treated my feet to a break in the lovely Golden Goose sneakers Jono bought me as a wedding present.

The Venue

Oxnead Hall was the first wedding venue we viewed. I had set my heart on having an outdoor tipi festival wedding, as Jono and I met at a festival however my Mum had booked a viewing at Oxnead ‘to compare’ and we were completely blown away on how beautiful the whole venue was. We left having booked our date for the following year!

We got married in the Church on site by Reverend David Hagen Palmer who was so friendly and put as both at ease which made our ceremony so special, followed by the reception being at the Orangery and in the Main Barn.

Oxnead also provided us with a wedding coordinator, Lucy, who was amazing throughout the whole process, giving us ideas and inspiration from other events at the venue and also played a critical part on the day in everything running smoothly.

Beauty

All our hair and make up was done by Amanda Steed Makeup and Hair. Amanda and Nikki were so lovely on the morning, making us feel so at ease throughout and we all felt a million dollars during the day.

Amanda and Nikki did such a great job as we had about 14 hairs and 10 makeups to get through in the morning before the ceremony!

The Readings & Music

Roger Bayes was our Bagpiper for the day and made the event so special. He played at different parts of the day including welcoming guests, and my walk to the church with my Dad as well as up and down the aisle.

Joe Ringer Band provided us with the evening entertainment and I don’t think there was one moment that the dancefloor was not full!

During the ceremony we had 2 readings. Jono’s mum Angela read a beautiful extract from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and my brother in law Bob also did a lovely biblical reading which was the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians.

The Flowers

I think the flowers were one of my favourite parts of the whole wedding. We used Swaffham and Fakenham Florist and they absolutely blew us away with the arrangements they made for us. I was keen to have a blush, spring country vibe and from the first meeting Michelle knew exactly what I was trying to create.

They are such talented florists, I almost had to unfollow them on Instagram throughout the planning process as I kept seeing additional arrangements that I would want on the day – the flower arch being one of the late additions!

Bridesmaids

The Bridesmaid dresses were Mark Lesley from Primadonna Bridal in Norwich.

The Flower girl dresses were Emma Bridals bought from Dreams Bridal shop in Rackheath. We had the blush bands sewn on separately from the additional material ordered in the bridesmaid dress colour.

Groomsmen

The kilts for Jono and his Best Man and Brother were from Slanj in Glasgow. Jono chose a Stewart tartan which runs in his family.

The Groomsmen suits were from Moss Bros with the tartan pocket square from Slanj being the same as Jonos.

The two pageboys kilts were also in the same Stewart tartan from Kilt Society.

Your Photographer

We used the spectacular Luis Holden to capture our day. We are not the type of couple that normally jump in front of the camera at a photo opportunity and we knew from seeing Luis’ previous work that he was definitely the photographer for us. Luis captured everything we had hoped for and more and we absolutely love every single photo that he took. He was so friendly and about 5 minutes in we didn’t even feel like we were being photographed.

The Cake

We went for a sleek and mostly plain cake with beautiful flower sugar work on the front which was made by Love Wedding Cakes. It was so tasty, and any leftover cake was fully eaten the next day! Flavours we had were Victoria Sponge and Cherry Bakewell.

The Details & Décor

Much of the details and décor (apart from the flowers) was DIY or coordinated by myself and my Mum. We bought lots of little bits from Hobbycraft, Amazon and Etsy. My Dad also made me a copper pipe structure that I attached family wedding photos too which was a nice touch. Instead of having traditional flowers all throughout the church, we also hired 4 trees from The Romantic Garden Nursery to bring a natural vibe. Epic Events Norfolk provided the beautiful lighting canopy in the main barn.

All our stationery before and during the day was matching and designed by Pippa at Pretty in Pink (Pippa).

We were also lucky enough to secure David Tinney as our Toastmaster on the day. David was so helpful in the run up to the wedding and was such an asset on the day ensuring everything went according to plan.

In the evening we brought a bit of fun to the reception having Smiley Booth East Anglia provide a photobooth for our guests which was a great touch!

The Honeymoon

We had a mini moon straight away to Mykonos to relax and wind down after the event. It didn’t go quite to plan with us both being struck down with a sickness bug (which we are laughing about now!), however we have our proper honeymoon booked to Japan in 2 months which we are really excited for!

Memorable Moments

The whole day was an absolute dream, but my 3 top moments of the day have to be:

• Spending the morning with my family and the bridesmaids/flower girls. We had such a fun morning filled of laughter and love, which I will cherish forever.
• Walking down the aisle to meet Jono at the alter.
• Dancing with all my best friends and family in the evening.

Advice For Other Couples

Don’t get lost in the stresses that come from planning a wedding and people you may feel that you need to please. Reflect on that you are planning a day to celebrate you as a couple and your love.

Prioritise what means a lot to you and your fiancé and enjoy every moment!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Well wasn’t that just ever so lovely? I really do adore a Spring wedding, so pretty.

Ruth and Jono, thank you both ever so much for sharing your very special wedding story with us xo Lou